The HDR-AS10 and HDR-AS15 are both equipped with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, with an ultra-wide 170° viewing angle. They also have back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensors, which offer superb low-light performance and support Full HD video.

Sony includes a ruggedized, waterproof housing with each camera. The housing has a universal tripod mount, and is waterproof down to a depth of 197 feet (60 m).

These lightweight and rugged wearable action camcorders weigh only 3.2 ounces (90 g) and they record at resolutions up to Full HD 1920 x 1080p at 30 frames per second (fps). They also support other shooting modes, including a 2x and 4x Slow Motion Video Mode. The 2x Slow Motion Mode supports 1280 x 720p HD resolution video capture at 60 fps. The 4x Slow Motion Mode supports 1280 x 720p HD resolution video capture at an amazing 120 fps.

And it looks like a PITA to remove the data card. Too many steps. So maybe just hook up a USB cable instead right? No, the cable slot is on the bottom so that's a PITA too. Maybe WiFi data transfer if connectivity is simple and reliable

From what I can tell, the wifi compresses the footage to upload to that google playmemories site. Your best off, to pop out the camera and release the card if you want full res. But for debriefing the wifi may be alright dependent upon speed.

The biggest selling points are size, battery life and 120fps @ 720p. The mounting seem to leave a bit to be desired, but not 100% until I physically have one in my hands.

I had one in my hands at the sony store yesterday. It looked like with some work with a dremel and a drill you could modify the headband mount, to mount on the side of a helmet with a flat side. I did not get to take any video with it, I really interested in how it compares to the contour and gopro.

"You can tell by the sample footage, that GoPro still has a better image (also confirmed this with a reputable source). I'm suprised they are releasing the camera with a quality like this when the GoPro clearly looks so much sharper and cleaner."

This is the cam in 120p mode (lower resolution). I have not jumped it yet, as there are differences between pre-production and production units. I've only had pre-production until this morning. However, I don't agree that GoPro is cleaner/sharper. We have several jumps (among other things) scheduled for Wednesday with 5 POV cams for comparison purposes, all shooting the same things (not all skydiving). One thing for certain, the Sony Wifi control actually works. Like each of the cams, it's going to have its issues. So far, what I like best about the AS-15 is that it does not artificially grade the color and reduce gradients to save bandwidth. Now that I can speak on the cam, I'm really disappointed that Sony opted for AVC vs AVCHD, simply to make Apple users happier. Quality sacrificed for laziness... it's unfortunate.

I did update my article and shot a small video comparing the gopro 2, contour+ and the AS15. The actual quality looks a lot nicer than the pre-release videos posted. So I take back what I said about the quality. It is a tad softer than the gopro, but not extremely noticeable.

As for the head band alteration, use the waterproof one not the non version. Although the camera is tiny, I feel that is a really bad idea using the non-version since it exposes the lens and does not seem very skydiver friendly. Remember the lens is non-replaceable. I think top mounting is still your best bet with this camera. The camera itself is very tiny.

One note is the display is on the right side vs. the left side so all your "side mounted" left side flat helmets will be useless unless you mind covering up the display. Which is ok, until you want to check your battery level or what not. There is a small led on the back of the camera that shows it is recording.

Oh yeah and the wifi is nice if you have a dedicated computer or smart device for each camera on the dz. Otherwise its a royal PIA since it only works on a adhoc network. The features are nice, but the connecting method makes it such a hassle. By the time you go thru all the menus to connect, you might as well either connect it via usb or the micro HDMI connection.

Oh yeah and the wifi is nice if you have a dedicated computer or smart device for each camera on the dz. Otherwise its a royal PIA since it only works on a adhoc network. The features are nice, but the connecting method makes it such a hassle. By the time you go thru all the menus to connect, you might as well either connect it via usb or the micro HDMI connection.

Mark, not having this issue here. I have been using a Samsung Galaxy 3, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, and an iPhone to connect, it opens right up once the app was installed. If the camera is on, it's instantly connected. Are you using the PlayMemories MOBILE app or the PMOnline app? The irreplaceable lens is not ideal, and I'm really disappointed it's not AVCHD. The original intention of this cam was AVCHD, but because of Apple's very f'd up licensing at the time (now Mountain Lion can read), Sony opted for h.264. Sacrificed quality for access.

I don't have a problem with connecting, just think it would be a lot nicer if you could set it to connect to an infrastructure vs. adhoc. It basically means you have to disconnect your device from your current wifi network to connect directly to the device vs. just connecting to it as if it was a server.

It also means that if there is more than one AS15 that you would like to debrief you need to go to your device's settings and select the new network vs just a selection in the program. At least in the iphone vs. if you are connect as a remote you can not tell it to send files, you have to open the cage, and then select send, go to your device and select the adhoc network. Just by the time I do all of this seems easier to just grab a cable. Don't know... Just my thoughts, maybe there will be an upgrade.

Also, here is the underwater head band dismantled. Looks like you can remove the bosses, add some weld nuts to the inside and affix to your helmet using this bracket. Not ideal, but it works

Will definitely look closely at tomorrow's comparison shoot. I'm starting to think Sony may have dropped the ball w/this camera. Too bad, as they could've cleaned up w/it. I don't need WiFi. I need good video quality in a light weight package.

So far, everyone has reported a great image. At high frame rates, it's the best of them. It's small. It's lighter weight. It has a substantial, real, mount. It may or may not be optimal for your helmet if you want a side mount; the display is on the right side (not an issue for me, personally, but I likely won't side mount, either). Colors are natural; it's easier for an editor to post great content. File format is standard, so it's easily worked with both Mac and PC systems. It could have been an even better image had Sony not bowed to the idiocy of Apple's older OS. I'm not clear on why you feel "Sony has dropped the ball" in a game that hasn't been played yet. GoPro is a formidable competitor, well-entrenched in every sport. I don't think Sony is out to "put GoPro away" but rather to offer an alternative that is smaller, lighter, and has appeal where a GoPro may not be appropriate, or for those that want a slimmer profile.

Trunk didn't think that about the image quality. You & Trunk know far more about this stuff than I do. When I heard that Sony was developing this camera. That they were using their Exmor-R sensor. I was hoping for a significant improvement in image quality over the GoPro. It's sounding like that's not going to be the case. Not from the very little data that's come out so far.

I leave it you more knowledgeable guys to give it a thumbs up or down. I wasn't expecting to read some of the negatives I've seen on it, so far. That's all. Let's see how your comparison shoot came out.

"I did update my article and shot a small video comparing the gopro 2, contour+ and the AS15. The actual quality looks a lot nicer than the pre-release videos posted. So I take back what I said about the quality. It is a tad softer than the gopro, but not extremely noticeable."

Better, but still not what I was expecting from Sony. Time & multiple reviewers will tell... I don't have anything against Sony. I already own a camcorder of theirs. It shoots beautiful video. I was hoping for a much lighter/cheaper/easier camera to fly. The image sensor used, plus Sony's reputation, led me to expect more than I'm hearing from this camera. We've got all winter to view N read the good, bad, & ugly. Let the Games begin .

Were you able to get the WIFI feature working? I tried connecting to it using an iPad3(iOS5), Samsung Galaxy Nexus & Nexus 7 (both Jelly Bean) and they all fail. All my devices see the camera's WIFI network, but the Sony app keeps saying "connecting..." over and over on Android, and the iPad just says "Unable to join the network." I'm trying to figure out if I just have a defective camera. I believe I am using the correct password, because I found it printed on the user manual, as well as in the "WIFI_INF.TXT" file.

EDIT: I saw your article, I guess you got it working. Maybe I got a lemon.

The smearing around the people walking was very prominent even in the source footage of the Sony camera. I used Avisynth to process the footage to keep it as close to the source as possible.

Therein lies the problem. You're messing with source, which destroys the integrity of the test. I jumped with 7 cameras today, testing every setting possible given the 7 I had to work with.

WIFI works perfectly on my iPad, Galaxy III cell, Galaxy 2 tab.

No smearing, and in overall picture, the unanimous decision of all people involved (several) was that the AS15 was superior in picture. I'm not so convinced in the controls, housing, or menus, but in image... it's significantly better. I have both a PAL and NTSC model, two production and one pre-production.

The images on the Gdoc are not modified, so they do go off the edge of the page, sorry about that; google limits page sizes. It is by no means the review I'm writing; it's just some fast screengrabs from all the cameras (not even all synced up yet).

Are your Android devices still on Ice Cream Sandwich? My Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7 are both running Jelly Bean and will connect then disconnect right after. Last night I tried my old T-mobile G2X running Gingerbread and that successfully worked with my camera. Perhaps it's a Jelly Bean issue?

Regarding the smearing, it's just what I saw in the source footage I took. Here are the links to the source footage:

Since the source files are pretty large, I also extracted the segments I used in my comparison clip. The clips were extracted with ffmpeg to avoid recompression (each command took less than a second to complete)

Both Android devices are JB. Google bricked my Nexus with the JB upgrade but it got me a free GIII.

I'm betting the smear/moire you are seeing is the result of the preview system. On a 32" screen, straight off the video card in VLC, Vegas, and WMP, not seeing any smear at all (your p120 footage). Downloading other footage now.

This album is public, so you should be able to see all the images. The most interesting images are the multicam screengrabs where you can see 8 cameras. The Sony p60 and p120 images are out of sync because of the speed flags, but the rest is all the same frame, same everything. There are inside and outside shots. More to come...

I'm on the fence with this camera to be honest. The colors seemed really "blue" in the sky, almost too cold. There was some blockiness that I saw when the frame changed dramatically. The underwater housing is useless in the sky since I had wicked lens flare and fogging issues. Perhaps a make shift lens hood made out of gaffers tape will help. The GoPro seemed a lot more crisp in comparison but the steady shot worked well. I think my next test will be GoPro and Sony @ 720 since I was not too impressed with the 1080. Some Video Skydiving with the Sony AS15 and the GoPro 2

I think a lot of people are taking the auto brightness/contrast operation that the GoPro uses as a pro, over the more 'flat' colors on the Sony.

Note that you can actually do the same thing in post on the sony footage, but in case of a Gopro having blown out whites/over exposed footage with a lot of sunlite on clouds, your footage is basically lost.

From an editors pov. the Sony definately has a big advantage (codec aside).

GoPro also is saturating the color, seeing this in the Drift (added today). While some probably see this as a benefit, I see it as a losing proposition. All of the cams have their advantages, but the one thing I like is the more "true" color to the AS15. GoPro has the best image at the smallest resolution in bright areas with low movement, but it also has bloom that none of the other cameras have. Personally, I prefer being able to have more control in post vs losing some of my options due to camera settings. 10 cameras being jumped at once...learning a lot in this process.

Good call guys on what is truer footage vs. what appears better on the computer or TV for debriefing. On a side to side comparison most people were agreeing with the gopro at the DZ but perhaps my computer is a bit too cold and we are in a pretty brown region ;-).

Here is a screen grab of the Eloy White otter. Does it appear really blue to anyone else? I haven't color matched this laptop but this seems too much to me.

Good call guys on what is truer footage vs. what appears better on the computer or TV for debriefing. On a side to side comparison most people were agreeing with the gopro at the DZ but perhaps my computer is a bit too cold and we are in a pretty brown region ;-).

Here is a screen grab of the Eloy White otter. Does it appear really blue to anyone else? I haven't color matched this laptop but this seems too much to me.

Your otter looks a lot whiter than mine. Perhaps I got a dud or it white balanced improperly when I turned on some how.

That's kinda my wonder, is WB on power-up. Played with it a bit today, pointing at a blue or green card to fool it. Fail. Might be yours is bad? One of mine is a pre-production model, other two are production units, so hopefully mine is like everyone else'.

I do have to add something, if you heard about the water barrel tube jump in Moab. The camera survived going in with the barrel, unfortunately Craig had turned it off right before exit when check to make sure it was on. LOL So no video of the epic water splash.

This would also make it the only camera to have survived a HooknSwoop project.

DSE - in your comparison have you done the AEE SD20 action camera? I gather it has lots of different names depending on what part of the world you are in... Swann Freestyle 1080p HD (USA), Rollei Action Cam 200 (North Europe) ActionPro SD20 (Germany), Xtrax SD20 (South America), Yo! y20 HD Camera (Spain)

I haven't seen/accessed this cam (never heard of it til this post), but it's probably time to stop. Jumping with 12 is fun, but also a pain in the neck (literally and figuratively) and 12 is enough. We've got all the "popular" cameras, and I've started comping the footage for the review already. Too much work to add another cam and do more jumps. :)

Last sunday we did a sunset jump that was very dark/gloomy where we had both a GoPro2 and a Sony AS15. The GoPro2 on the jump had a noticable grainy/noisy video, where-as the sony video had an extremely noticable better picture quality with much, much less grain.

I have some 4K files from highly contrasted, total dark with firedancers. It'll be part of the almost-done DZ.com review It's going to surprise people, but what you're saying is pretty much spot-on (no pun intended)

Having played with the AS15 the last two weeks, I love the image quality, but the box itself has some severe issues with fogging up on the inside due to large empty spaces in the back of the box. It could be an issue with the current (colder) EU weather. Who knows, but on most skydive/basejumps where the exit/ground altitude varied quite a bit the camera had a very faded image due to misting on the inside.

Since Im not using the camera for pools/diving, Ill probably remove the lens on the casing to just have the actual lens out in the open air to prevent this. But that aside, really liking it and the 120fps is awesome to play with.

Haven't seen this fogging problem yet, but it's also not cold here. Sony sells the cover without the lens in it. Be aware, the Sony lens isn't replaceable like the GoPro lens is, so if it's damaged...camera is effectively gone.

Having played with the AS15 the last two weeks, I love the image quality, but the box itself has some severe issues with fogging up on the inside due to large empty spaces in the back of the box. It could be an issue with the current (colder) EU weather. Who knows, but on most skydive/basejumps where the exit/ground altitude varied quite a bit the camera had a very faded image due to misting on the inside.

Since Im not using the camera for pools/diving, Ill probably remove the lens on the casing to just have the actual lens out in the open air to prevent this. But that aside, really liking it and the 120fps is awesome to play with.

What about drilling a couple of small holes fore and aft, to allow air to stream through?

Is the 4K option on the GP3 actual 4K chip, or is it done through uprezing?

It's an ambarella chip, so I *believe* it's native. But it's still a super small chip.

Is it an A7 chip? Because if so there is something that puzzles me. The highest data rate on GP3 is 132,7Mpixels/s at 4096x2160@15fps but the A7 chip is stated to be capable of processing up to 500 Mpixels/s. Wouldn't that mean that, that chip could do 3840x2160@60fps (497,7Mpixels/s) or am I missing something? Is the limitation on GP3 the sensor chip? Since at least with a quick search the best sensor I could find was OV12830 which can do 4224x3000@24fps (304,12 Mpixels/s). And would all this mean that in few years time there will be GP4 which can do at least 4k@24 fps or even more?

Edit : OmniVision seems to actually have a sensor chip(OV16820) that can do 3840x2160@60fps but I somehow missed that. So if I'm not mistaken it would be possible to already build a camera that can do 4k@60fps.

Edit2 : Just realized that the 500Mpixels/s on the A7(hybrid) chip probably means raw data and not compressed and the best compressed it can do is 2560x1600@30fps (122,9Mpixels/s).

Yeah that's kind of the thing I'd be wanting, although as that will still have the gopro case raised a little off the surface of my helmet, for me it would still be a line snag hazard.

I'd be wanting a case, like that phenomenally expensive one linked to earlier, where the whole case would be flush with the helmet, no visible gap underneath - i.e. the tripod thread is built into the base of the case.

I've got that for the AEE SD20 camera I'm currently using, so would have hoped for something similar on the far more popular brand!

It's a bug the Playmemories app has with Nexus devices. If you look through the feedback on the Google play store, you'll see a lot of complaints with it not working on Nexus devices. I called Sony Techsupport several weeks ago to report the bug, but they never did anything about it. I think I'm going to write a shitty 1 star review and hope they eventually take notice of the issue. I was able to get the Sony to connect to my old Tmobile G2X phone though, so I know the camera is not defective.

Sony was at Bridge Day this year and gave a few of us some free ones to test. I shot a few jumps in 720p @ 120fps. Footage was crisp but it wasnt a fair test with colors because it was completely overcast that day. I also used the same settings on a base jump in Utah last weekend and the colors were a lot better. I'll see if I can get the raw up on youtube this weekend and post the link.

I've been wondering how to leave off the front cover of the case while making sure the camera is held snugly. A bungee would stop it falling out, but there is still room for the camera to move forwards and backwards within the housing. I didn't want to add more padding in the rear of the case since it means the lens protrudes more.

Aha! I thought the front cover was a one-piece mould. Given the replacements available, this is a nice solution. Though they are rather expensive from what I've seen ($50 for 3 - one of each type): http://store.sony.com/...nt-Doors/en/p/AKARD1

I was also wanting to mount the camera to the side of my helmet rather the top (better framing IMO, door clearance and I can change the orientation from HD to Head up).

A small C-Bracket is the obvious choice but I also had an idea to drill 2 holes into the side of the waterproof case so that I can mount it directly. I just need some low profile 'flanged nuts'. The flanged nut would sit flush inside the case with some of the nut poking through the holes and slightly into the helmet. There appears to be enough room between the camera body and the case for this to work.

Or maybe even better, a strip of metal on the inside with countersunk nuts coming out to mate with the helmet.

Saying that, the direct mount idea would be a pain to switch between head-up and head-down compared to a C-bracket and I'd always be worried that the plastic case would smply not stand the strain and crack at some point.

expect to see more mount options available from third party and Sony in the next month. There are some cool new 3rd party options for GP coming soon too. RePlay is offering even more options (they have the most in different grades. Seems this is the year of POV.

I'm not Trunk, but am doing a comparison of the cameras that won the shootout Part 1.

4K is measurebation. It's 15fps, so useless for any high motion unless stop-motion/stutter is part of your art. 2K is more useful, but again, at an expense.

If the editing system can't manage 2 or 4K (most can't), there is little point (don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of 4k, just not in this particular environment. The chip gets hot as hell, and battery life is terrible, and the framerate is not smooth. Bigger pictures/jerky frames = viewer headache. So far, my impression of the GP3 is that it's very nice but it certainly doesn't match the hype that has preceded its launch. The Silver...might as well just keep the GP2. I returned mine this morning.

I don't know which settings they used for their new demo vid, but it looked far better then older GoPro stuff.

I'm still hoping one of these will prevent me from the hassles of flying my CX-150 next season.

Demo vids=a lot of post, tweaks in camera. It's a great lil' camera, please don't misunderstand. What it isn't, is significantly better than previous offerings (excepting audio, the FFT works well, but then again, Sony and RePlay already had this feature long, long before GP). With this many POV cams in my kit, I feel I have a pretty un-biased view of them. Unlike most of the folks posting all the great stuff about the various cameras, I have to pay for them (including the Sony cams).

I shot some comparison video over the weekend, and I think the Sony Carl Zeiss lens delivers significantly sharper video than the GoPro Hero3 Black lens. That's based on my initial comparison though, the Hero3 was in Protune mode so I don't know if sharpening the footage would make them more comparable (I kinda doubt it). The thing that hurts the Sony though is the lower bitrate that it encodes at. At 120fps the Sony encodes around 24Mbps, whereas the GoPro in Protune mode is nearly double at 46Mbps. The Sony bitrate results in strong compression artifacts (evident in the youtube link below). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKUIYlqyRAcHopefully Sony updates its firmware to allow increased bitrate like GoPro did with the Hero2.

For fun jumping I plan on using the Hero3 Black, just because it was a lot easier to attach to my Cookie G2 and it's easier to change the camera angle for whatever type of jump I find myself on. I'd be careful of using the Hero3 for filming tandems though, because that battery drains pretty quick right now. It went from fully charged to dead in 2 or 3 days, despite being powered off and wifi disabled the entire time. The Sony's battery life has held up pretty well; when I turned it on, it had a strong charge despite being left off the charger for two weeks. I don't know if I'd recommend the HDR-AS15 for filming tandems either though, because it has its share of flaws as well. I'll probably stick with my trusty CX150 for tandems, or upgrade to a HDR-PJ710V if the price point is low enough after Sony releases next year's cameras.

So after a few hours with support, one disconnection and and an endless loop for a bit, I'm sending my AS15 in for repair. Lets hope they fix it or when I get one back its shoots as well as all you are stating it does. I've been super unimpressed by it and hope its just a bad apple I got.

The Sony's battery life has held up pretty well; when I turned it on, it had a strong charge despite being left off the charger for two weeks. I don't know if I'd recommend the HDR-AS15 for filming tandems either though, because it has its share of flaws as well.

It seems to me that one major downside of the AS15 or GoPro for tandem use would be the lack of a controller and status indicator such as the Hypeye. I know GoPro offers a remote with some models, but it still does not give you the same immediate and visual feedback as the status indicator. Using an iphone or whatever to control the AS15 seems impractical for tandem videos, but perhaps I'm missing something.

Agreed. The RePlay offers haptic feedback, Drift Ghost offers a remote with feedback. However... a lot of people are turning to POV cameras for tandems, whether some of us like it or not (I'm not one of them).

Aside from the bitrate issues causing compression artifacts, the flaws (perhaps limitations is a better word) I was speaking about aren't dealbreakers. These are just issues I've encountered that others might run into as well.

- No audio when recording at 60fps or 120fps. I want to be able to shoot at the higher framerate to have smoother slowmo capabilities when editing the skydive, but I'd also like to catch whatever the tandem might say on the way to the door. (Hero3 Black records audio at 120fps, so perhaps this could be changed on the Sony via a firmware upgrade.)

- It's hard to hear the recording beep on the plane with the camera in it's waterproof case. I either have to have my cellphone on me with the Playmemories app working to make sure it was recording, or ask someone to look at the camera's rear recording light. It makes me appreciate the Hypeye, because I really don't want to have to carry my phone on me every skydive.

- When I swap out the CX150 and place the HDR-AS15 on my top mounted camera bracket, the bracket ends up blocking the camera case latching. I have to remove the tripod screw that I use to mount it, so I can get the camera out of the case to change camera settings or copy data from the memory card. It's only a minor hassle, but it raises the chance that I accidently drop, and possibly lose my tripod screw. Not everyone is going to run into this issue, because it depends on how they choose to mount the action cam. On my Tonfly CX2, the HDR-AS15 mounted onto the zkulls using a tripod screw is actually pretty perfect; easy to flip the latching and get the camera out to adjust the settings. It definitely wouldn't be an issue if I used the sticky mount, but then I lose the flexibility of using my CX150 if the HDR-AS15 isn't working correctly.

I'm sure if someone really wanted to lighten up their load, they could get this camera working well on their helmet setup and in their video editing workflow. My CX150 yields good quality while keeping things simple and reliable, so it's what I prefer/recommend for filming tandems.

After a few months of this camera and Sony's inability to "fix" my camera I have to say this camera is a complete POS. It does not set the white balance correctly, it has way too low bit rate for skydiving, and the mounting options suck. Any thing with any fast change to it and your image just becomes a pixelized blob. I generally do like a Sony products but now I have a $270 paper weight. I do NOT suggest this camera to anyway doing anything fast in skydiving or any HS action sports where the whole frame is changing from the previous.

I sent it in for repair and they said the lens has been touched from the inside. Trust me I know better than to unscrew a focused lens. This is complete BS and was going to give them the benefit of the doubt but now must say they really missed the bar on this one. (End of rant)

Sorry to learn of your troubles w/this, Trunk. IMHO, Sony's refusal to replace a defective unit is completely unacceptable. In comparison, I recently purchased a Kindle Fire HD from Amazon. There is a slight problem w/it. After a quick, no-hassle phone call, Amazon is shipping me a new one. They're also paying all the shipping, both ways. I don't even have to return the defective unit, first. They took my word on the problem. Any huge Company that doesn't stand behind their products, loses my business.

I think they just knew there wasn't a "fix" for the issues I was having so tried to weasel their way out of it.

Either way, it's inexcusable. Sony makes some great stuff. If they treat some of their lower-end customers like this, though. I'll shop elsewhere when I need something higher up the food chain. $300 is $300... Intentionally sticking a customer w/junk is theft, plain N simple.

Trunk, your shit Sony customer service experience echos one that I had with them this year.

When I purchased my CX760 over the phone I was told that it qualified for 18 months deferred interest financing (0% if PIF in 18 months) but they billed my Sony consumer CC and gave me only 6 months.

I still have not been able to get them to stick to their agreement, and their only accommodation has been to return the camera.

Their customer service people are horrible, and I am stuck talking to CSRs from an India call center with managers that refuse to get on the phone, Absolutely mind blowing what a fuck up their customer service is.

After the first day of using the camera, the bottom door of the AS15 broke off and the other half was rattling in side the chassis, I slid off the back to take out the broken piece and of course looked at the electronics. I never ever unscrewed the lens or touched any electronics. I do this sh*t for a living and my surface is esd safe. Yes, it is their warranty and their right to turn me away as a customer. And it is my right to feel and believe this is how every Sony AS15 acts.

I haven't seen any decent fast skydiving footage from this camera. Even what they put out looks like crap: Sony AS15 Skydiving footage and you can see the pixelation in this video video when the frame changes quickly. Everyone make their own decision, its just not the camera for me and I rather use something else in my arsenal.

You had a bad experience, we get it. But pushing that hate a bit to far perhaps? No decent footage? Id blame it on user error

Ive been using the Sony camera for both skydiving and base, and getting nothing but killer shots on it.

https://vimeo.com/53244622 - Rodeo doesnt look half bad in colors or sharpness does it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFw-mSK9TnM - Left view is my Sony. Right view is the GoPro. Again. What are you seeing that Im not seeing? Looking at both files in fullres, the Sony does noticeably better in colors and having less issues with burnt out colors.

The next Phoenix-Fly Need4speed video (out in a few days) was also filmed with the Sony for a large part. Whatever issues you're having with the camera, none of the users Ive seen footage from have the issue. The only pixelated issue I see in your examples is people who dont know how to properly export/render stuff for the web without shitloads of compression. For the $199 you get the AS10 for, you dont get a GoPro. And if 'issues' people have are a signal, ask that question about GoPros on a dropzone, and you'll get a dozen people with similar screwups.

In the end, its a plastic action camera 'toy'. If you want real quality, get a proper camera or DSLR. But for the money these things cost, Id say well worth it.

The YouTube video is blocked over copyright issues (in the US at least.)

The only thing I really wish Sony would do for the HDR-AS15/AS10, is to increase the video bitrate. GoPro did this with the Hero2 through a firmware update.

Here's a video that really shows how detail is lost when the scene is too complex: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKUIYlqyRAcThis shows up in the raw video, it's definitely not due to export process. The grass is just too detailed for the maximum bitrate that is allowed.

Your wingsuit video is mostly blue sky, so the compression artifacts aren't really there, however, you can see the compression issue at the end when you are looking at your canopy on the grass. In your case, I think the camera does its job since it gets the wingsuiting footage pretty well and who really cares about looking at grass. If you were freeflying and were transitioning from headdown/headup with a few people on screen, you would definitely see the compression artifacts crop up.

in your case, it's dubious that higher bitrate would have fixed the issue. Rolling shutter shows up too, if you snag the video and play it back slow.

All of the cams have issues; I feel I tested them thoroughly (and the review would have been much longer, were there time and space to post every test).

In the case of what Jarno posted, and in the Need For Speed videos, there is constantly changing, high speed shifts in backgrounds, and exceptionally high motion in backgrounds that no skydiving video will ever see. It looks great.

As mentioned in a previous thread, early releases of the camera had some issues; having a prototype, an initial release, and a much later release shows slight differences.

It's pretty rare I'll disagree with Trunk/Mark on his opinions of a camera, but in this one, I disagree entirely, and further, would point out that Trunk is a dealer for GoPro, just as I'm a consultant to Sony Creative Software with some contacts within the Sony Consumer Imaging division. In case it wasn't read earlier, I also pay for my Sony cams, just like everyone else.

I do sell some GoPros but I really do not think that biased my opinion of the camera at all.

HYPOXIC makes a lot more money off of the accessories I design for cameras. If I personally felt the AS15 was a good camera for skydiving I would be poised to make a lot of money off of them. For instance I almost had to production a cage for the AS15 which I scraped because I didn't believe in the camera. I also scrapped looking and reverse engineering the serial data coming out of the connector which most likely provides control and feedback i.e. a HYPEYE for the camera.

I feel Sony eventually will have a good solution, I just don't think the AS15 is it. When they release better mounting solutions and pick up the bitrate I feel it is a nice little camera. Besides the blue issue and the bitrate issues, the bottom door cover ripped off right away. Also, I personally have never seem that pixelation on the GP2 or 3 when the frame changes drastically.

I feel the as10/15 may be a great camera for other sports, just not ours. Others may feel differently, that's all.

Man...I sure wish you'd move forward with that case. I'd be in for a few. Jarno, Robi, and I are not having any issues with the cameras at all. Nor are the tandem videographers using them at quite a few DZ's. As mentioned the day you received it, I suspect you got a dud. And I'm still happy to take it upstream for you. The next gen of the camera isn't terribly different, but having a higher bitrate would certainly be better, especially in low light or panning motion. However, Robert Pecnik's challenge with the camera is easily the most difficult challenge to throw at any POV cam (smoke, high motion background, static foreground, low contrasts, straight lines). The footage is amazing.

Man...I sure wish you'd move forward with that case. I'd be in for a few. Jarno, Robi, and I are not having any issues with the cameras at all. Nor are the tandem videographers using them at quite a few DZ's. As mentioned the day you received it, I suspect you got a dud. And I'm still happy to take it upstream for you. The next gen of the camera isn't terribly different, but having a higher bitrate would certainly be better, especially in low light or panning motion. However, Robert Pecnik's challenge with the camera is easily the most difficult challenge to throw at any POV cam (smoke, high motion background, static foreground, low contrasts, straight lines). The footage is amazing.

I second that.... I hear many people are using the new cam and I for one would pay for that mount.